Minister: Quds Day an opportunity to pay tribute to martyred Soleimani's aspirations

Tehran, May 22, IRNA – Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in a message termed the International Quds Day as an opportunity for paying homage to aspiration of the martyred Lieutenant General Qasemi Soleimani. Middle East free of war, full of peace and without apartheid Zionist regime, General Soleimani's blood guarantees this aspiration, Abbas Salehi wrote in his Twitter account on Thursday. Quds day, as a unique occasion for Muslims around the globe, is the last Friday of Ramadan month, an initiative by Imam Khomeini, the founder of Islamic Republic of Iran. Quds city, the first Qibla of Muslims, was occupied by the Zionists in 1948 and taken from its real owners – Palestinians. Lieutenant General Soleimani who was the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force commander was assassinated by the US with the acting Commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), known as the Hashd al-Shaabi, Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes, and eight other military forces with record of fighting the Daesh (ISIS) in Iraq. The Supreme Leader has called for proportionate military action against the US interests in response to the heinous crime against the Iranian commander on a diplomatic mission to Baghdad. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted the US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Al-Anbar province in western Iraq in retaliation. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei commented on the martyrdom of the great commander of the IRGC's Quds Forces and said harsh and severe revenge is awaiting the criminals.